…good in your outfit when you’re not convinced you look good in it? Before alterations: too big and boxy. My shape is completely lost underneath. I finally thought to take it to my tailor to see what her assessment of it would be. I hoped there was something she could do, since I had already spent the money on it, and it was worth it to me to invest a bit more into making it wearable. Right away, she said it needed the sides to be taken in, and th…
…cking out pretty far, instead of laying flat against my lower back. Before Alterations Here the pants are after alterations: Pants: LOFT Marisa Fit Tweed Pants, size Petite 00 Sweater: American Eagle Cashmere Cardigan, size XXS (see my1st post) (see my 2nd post) (see PetiteAsianGirl’s post) Top: H&M T-shirt, size 2 Necklaces: Honora Pearls (similar here) and Charter Club Jet Stone Strand (similar here) Shoes: Cole Haan Carma Open Toe Air Pump, siz…
…the sleeves at the shoulder instead of at the wrist. Even after all those alterations, it will never look the same way on me as it does on the model because of the length, which is shrunken on the 5’10” model, but fits more like a “hacking” style blazer on 4’11” me. I’m beginning to appreciate this as one of the coolest things about tailoring non-petite clothing down to fit…it’s like creating a whole new unique garment that no one else can just b…
…e (actually, need) side pockets. Even though these were going to need some alterations, the deciding factor to keep and tailor these is the flat, crease-free fit in the front. A lot of creasing in this area generally bothers me, and seeing how these drape nicely without a lot of pulling sealed the deal. I find this a rare occurrence, so that I’ll happily tailor the rest of the pant so long as it has a nice clean looking front (and I like it’s othe…
…ll as rewards. Enjoy! =) It’s been a long time since my last Adventures in Alterations! Luckily I have a pretty big transformation for you today. This shirt, paired with a crop sweater last week, had a pretty major overhaul at the tailor, which is reserved only for the pieces I have to have, but don’t come in the petite sizing my height dictates. This was one of those pieces for the following reasons: Garment Type – I wear a collared button-up shi…
…n I’ve had to do a few times now. If you find yourself in need of shoulder alterations, I’d suggest finding a tailor that specializes in custom menswear, as this tailor will be skilled enough to handle the task. Here’s a look at this blazer before alterations, as well as a look at what a tailor will do to narrow the shoulder: I was immediately drawn to the shape and design of this handbag, but when the sales associate unzipped it to reveal a shoul…
…the skirt enough to see what my tailor could do. Here is the skirt before alterations: See it altered after the jump. I told my tailor all my ideas about the skirt, and she quickly said, “No, no, no. It needs to be slimmed, but that’s all it needs.” I reiterated my concern with the length because, well, I’m short, and all I ever hear is how petite women should wear shorter skirts. And then my tailor said something to me that I rarely ever hear…bu…
…aggy. Here it is in size petite 00: Pretty big huh? To see the shirt after alterations…click “Continue Reading…” I really wanted this shirt to work, so I took it to my tailor to see what she could do. She pinned it down the sides, and also along the two seams in the back to contour it a bit. Then she pinned the sleeves to narrow them.Here is my shirt after alterations: Cost of Alteration: $38 The difference is pretty incredible isn’t it?The cost i…
…the sides to be taken in? I got it back from my tailor! Here it is before alterations: Untied Tied The shirt was cut a bit generously, and even though there is a tie in back to pull in the waist, there was so much extra fabric that it bunched too much when tied. After alterations: Tied Cost of Alteration: $18 Taking the sides in removed the excess fabric that was bunching around my shoulders and adding volume below my waist. It also brought in th…
…k from my tailor and got a chance to take some pictures! Here it is before alterations: The skirt sits on my low waist, and looks a little sloppy The bit of extra fabric Here is the finished product, after alterations: Now the skirt sits at my natural waist and looks sharply styled. Here’s a look at the stitches my tailor added to nip in the waist. This skirt could also have been taken in along the zipper, eliminating the two stitches, but would h…
I got a few requests in the comments of the basic jean alterations post for more information about original versus regular hems. I tried to make a video on the subject, but seeing as the only video recorder I have at the moment is my Droid cell phone, it didn’t work out very well. =P So, here’s some pictures that will hopefully help you see the difference between hemming your jeans with an original or regular hem. Original hem: This is my preferr…
…shots (Me? A model? Ha!). So…here is my first installment of…Adventures in Alterations! Adventures in Alterations: Tank Style Tops Here’s an easy one to get us started. This is the Anna Rose Top by Diane von Furstenberg from F/W 2008 in size P (petite). DVF tops and dresses in sizes P and 0 usually run pretty small, so you can find these items in an easily alterable state right off the rack. Before:This top is cut for a taller person. While the to…
